Concrete Slab Example

1. Introduction

The model shown in Figure 1 is a 100”x100”x8” slab of concrete that is fixed around the perimeter. The
concrete has 10 bars modeled along the tension side of the slab to represent the re-bar. There is a
uniform pressure load applied to the surface of the slab. The concrete material is modeled using a
nonlinear elastic material with a compressive Young’s modulus that is 100 times greater than the
Young’s modulus in tension.

Figure 1. Concrete Slab

2. Creating Geometry and Mesh

Create a 100”x100” rectangle. Go to Geometry – Curve Line – Rectangle and enter 100 for X, 100 for
Y and 0 for Z.

Figure 2. Locate Window

Go to Mesh – Mesh Control – Size Along Curve and select the four curves that make up the rectangle.
Enter 10 for the number of elements.

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Figure 3. Mesh Size Definition

Create a boundary surface by clicking on Geometry – Boundary Surface – From Curves. Select the
four curves that make up the rectangle and press OK.

We now need to define the material for the concrete. This is done by first defining a stress-strain curve
that models the behavior of the concrete. Go to Model – Function and enter the data points as shown
in the Figure 4 below. Be sure to change the Type to 13..Stress vs. Strain.

Figure 4. Function Definition

Create a material by going to Model – Material. The material should have a Young’s Modulus E of
3.6E6 and a Poisson’s ratio of 0.15.

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Figure 5. Isotropic Material – Nonlinear – Definition

Next, click on the Nonlinear button and select Nonlinear Elastic. Under Function Dependence click
on the drop down menu and select the function you defined earlier.

Figure 6. Nonlinear Material Definition

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You also have to define a material for the bar elements. Press the Load button and load the AISI 4340
Steel.

Figure 7. Isotropic Material Definition

Three properties need to be created. Go to Model – Property and create a plate with a thickness of
0.1”. This property will only be temporary to mesh the rectangle.

Figure 8. Plate Property Definition

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The second property should be a solid (chosen under the Elem/Property Type button). Label this
property as Concrete.

Figure 9. Solid Property Definition

The third property should be a bar element with a radius of 0.15. Label this property as Bar.

Figure 10. Bar Property Definition

Next, go to Mesh – Geometry – Surface. Click on the surface and press OK. You should now have a
10x10 mesh. Be sure to choose the Plate property you created earlier.

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Figure 11. Surfaces Automesh

You will now extrude these elements in the Z-direction. Go to Mesh – Extrude – Elements. Choose the
solid property you created and enter 4 elements along the length. Be sure to put a check in the Delete
Original Elements check box as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. Options Generation

In the Select Vector to Extrude Along dialogue box enter the information shown in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Vector Locate

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You now need to create the bar elements that will act like the re-bar in the concrete. First orient your
workplane to the side of the model. Go to Tools – Workplane – Select Plane. Right click on the screen
and select Snap to Node. Then click on 3 nodes on the side of the slab that will create a plane along
this side.

Figure 14. Concrete Slab with Workplane

Next, click on Geometry – Curve Line – Coordinates. Select the left most node that is one up from the
bottom left corner and press OK. Next, click on the right most node that is one up from the bottom right
corner. This should create a line that spans across the side of the slab. Then go to Mesh – Mesh
Control – Size Along Curve and select the curve you just created. Enter 10 for the Number of
Elements.

Figure 15. Mesh Size Along Curves

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Next, go to Mesh – Geometry – Curve and select the curve. In the property drop down box, select the
Bar property you created earlier. Click OK. Go to Mesh – Copy – Element, and select the 10 elements
that you just created. Under Repetitions enter 10. Repeat this procedure for the re-bar that goes along
the other side of the slab.

Figure 16. Options Generation

3. Creating Boundary Condition and Loads

Next, the constraints need to be defined. Press F8 and click on XY Top to orient your view. Click CTRL-
A to auto-size your view. Go to Model – Constraint – Nodal. Give your constraint set a name and then
select the left and right side nodes (by pressing the Shift button). Click OK, and then select Fixed in the
Create Nodal Constraints box. Your model should now appear like the one in Figure 17.

Figure 17. Model Constraints

Create the pressure load by going to Model – Load – Elemental. Select all the elements on the top
face. This can be done in a similar manner as above, but instead, rotate the model to a side view and
box-pick all the top elements. Enter a value of 10 for the pressure.

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Figure 18. Loads Creation

In the Face Selection For Elemental Loads window click on any element face that is on the top of the
slab (should be face 1). Check that your pressure load appears like the one in Figure 19.

Figure 19. Model Loads

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You now need to merge coincident nodes. Go to Tools – Check – Coincident Nodes. Click on Select
All and check the Merge Coincident Entities box.

Figure 20. Check/Merge Coincident Nodes

4. Setting-up and Running Analysis

Next, the nonlinear analysis options need to be setup. Go to Model – Load – Nonlinear Analysis.
Under Solution Type select Static. In the Number of Increments field, enter 20. Click OK.

Figure 21. Load Set Options for Nonlinear Analysis

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Your model is now ready for analysis. Go to File – Analyze and choose an appropriate file name. In the
NASTRAN Analysis Control box, select 10..Nonlinear Static for the analysis type. Make sure
everything else is filled in as shown in Figure 22 and press OK.

Figure 22. Nastran Analysis Control

5. Viewing Results

Your model should now run in the NEiNastran Editor. The analysis should take around 5 minutes. You
should get results like the ones shown in Figure 23 below.

Figure 23. Analysis Results

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